Substitute
by nikoboo
Summary: A casual conversation about a someone turns into something more for Kurama and Hiei. What do you do when you don't want to bring yourself into a conversation? You use a substitute. The demon pair discuss love and how they view it. OC, no pairings.


_I own nothing except the character Quay.  
Have fun! _

-----

_Wednesday_

"Good morning, Hiei."

Said fire demon resisted the urge to pout at being detected. It was a little game he and Kurama played nearly every time he visited; he would try to get inside Kurama's apartment without the youko noticing. In a sense, it was a good way to train both their sense. As it stood, he and Kurama were at a draw. It just so happened that that particular morning, Kurama had his guard up.

"Hn. Where's the idiotic little child?"

Kurama laughed softly, "Quay is thirteen, Hiei. She's hardly a 'little child.'"

Rolling his eyes and plopping down on the sofa besides his partner, the small youkai replied icily, "I'll stop seeing her as a child when she stops acting like one and grows taller than me. And you didn't answer my question."

"Why Hiei, is that concern I hear in your voice?" He was kidding of course. In fact, he could sense nothing in Hiei's voice. At least he wasn't angry. Grumpy-Hiei was very hard to deal with at times. Receiving only a glare in response, he laughed again and sighed dramatically. "You really shouldn't worry so much. She just left for school."

"Ch, who said I was worried?"

"She won't be home until evening, she has soccer practice after school."

Hiei gave him a blank stare that nearly made him burst out in laughter. There were times when the red-eyed demon really resembled a disgruntled cat. "And why the hell should I care?"

Kurama turned his head and disinterestedly turned on the television, a smirk on his face. "Didn't you come to see her?"

"What makes you think that, stupid fox?"

"Well, the first thing you did when you came in was ask about her."

Eyes narrowing, Hiei growled and crossed his arms, laying back against the sofa. "It was oddly quiet in here. That's all."

"Oh, I'm flattered, Hiei." Kurama teased, enjoying the rare moments he and Hiei shared where his friend would say more than two words. "You must have come to see me then."

"You're an idiot."

Disappointed that Hiei wasn't playing along, Kurama sighed and stood up, glancing about the apartment. Quite a few chairs had jackets and sweaters hanging on them, and some shoes were thrown haphazardly around. The kitchen counter was piled high with all sorts of snacks and the sink was full of dishes.

When Quay came to live with him over a month ago, his favor to a friend, the place gradually started to look more and more lived-in. Being Kurama, he always tried to keep the place nice and neat, and by all means Quay did her best to clean up as well, but after about a week of trying to keep the mess at bay, Kurama ended up being exhausted from work and cleaning. Quay had suggested Sunday as cleaning day. Still, the redhead couldn't help picking up a few things here and there on other days, his excuse being it would make cleaning on Sunday.

"Hiei," he sighed, "Care to help me clean up a bit?"

The smaller of the two eyed him warily, "No vacuum."

The corner of Kurama's lips twitched. Definitely like a disgruntled cat. The one time Kurama had turned the vacuum on when Hiei was present, the poor youkai had been so startled he slashed the appliance to pieces, sending dust everywhere and inducing a coughing fits for both himself and Kurama. "No vacuum," Kurama promised. "Just help me pick up some of Quay's stuff and put it in her room."

Within twenty minutes, they were at the kitchen table drinking tea. "You know," Kurama began tentatively, looking out the window. "I think I like having Quay around." Hiei looked up from his cup silently, only his eyes signaling that he was listening. "My mother adores her."

"Reminiscing, are you?"

Kurama's eyes grew slightly sad despite the smile on his face. "I was nothing like her when I was growing up. I didn't let my mother dote on me, no matter how much she wanted to. I never smiled at her the way Quay does when she's fawned over, never wanted her affection until I was too old to ask for such a thing." Without having to look, he knew Hiei was giving him another flat stare. "I've lived such a long time, and yet I've learned next to nothing. Quay is thirteen, a baby by Makai standards, and she's learned to love and let love."

"And one day that useless emotion will get her killed." Narrowed green eyes met equally sharp scarlet ones. "Feelings like that only serve to endanger the ones you wish to protect. Tell me, how many times have you almost been killed because of your fondness for that ningen woman? One day Quay's going to realize that no matter how much she gives, she will only be hurt and disappointed in the end."

And vaguely, Kurama realized they were no longer actually talking about the young girl. Irritation beginning to seep into his skin, he frowned and shot Hiei a disapproving look. "Wait a minute that's not a fair assumption, Hiei. Her mother gave her life so Quay could be born, and yet Quay doesn't beat herself up about it. She knows her mother gave her the ultimate gift at the ultimate cost. She's giving to others what her mother gave to her."

Hiei's jaw clenched with the effort not to yell. "Her mother gave her nothing but the misfortune of living in this awful and corrupt world with no one to care for her."

Realizing they were reaching a very forbidden territory, Kurama cleared his throat discreetly and asked, "What does that have to do with anything, Hiei?"

"She, like you, would be better off not getting attached to so many because when it's all taken away, she won't know what to do with herself. That is the price of letting everyone into your walls."

The redhead felt as if he had been punched in the stomach. This had nothing to do with Quay. Hiei was getting personal. "So you're saying you should distance yourself from everyone to avoid getting hurt?"

"To avoid hurting others."

Kurama felt like his head was about to explode. The little fire demon before him was making him see red. Hiei was saying not to love, because love only caused pain, and yet because of love, he'd distance himself to avoid seeing the ones he cared for get hurt. It was a circle. One monstrous, obnoxious, hypocritical circle. "And that's why you lie to Yukina."

Immediately, he knew he had said the wrong thing. Hiei's eyes narrowed in a vicious glare, teeth slightly bared and a growl rising in his throat.

"That's why you lie to the human you call your mother."

An angry silence filled the kitchen, not even the sound of their breathing breaking it. Kurama hated to admit it, but Hiei had a point there. But never would he stop loving Shiori, the woman who gave him a second chance and had shown him the complete and unconditional love only a mother could. And then his anger melted into sadness as he realized he and Hiei two completely different people coming from two completely different walks in life.

Of course. How could he forget that Hiei had never experienced a mother's love? How could he have forgotten that Hiei was raised by a gang of thieves who neither showed nor wanted affection? The small youkai in front of him learned all the lessons he could from his horrid childhood. There was no way he could relate to what Kurama was saying, and no way Kurama could fully wrap his mind around Hiei's thoughts.

Sighing, he leaned forward, all previous anger replaced by mild weariness. "I suppose it is."

Surprised at not being yelled at or enveloped by vines, Hiei eyed the former youko with a cautious frown. "Hn."

"But you know," Kurama started casually, desperate to re-direct the conversation. "Quay never knew her mother, but she's grown up to be a very positive girl." He took a sip of his luke-warm tea and again stared out the window. "I wonder if her sister had anything to do with it." Again he realized he wasn't really talking about Quay and nearly kicked himself.

"Her sister..." Hiei repeated slowly, the tiniest hint of sadness reaching his eyes before he expertly hid it. "She always speaks fondly of her."

"She loved her."

Hiei sighed and slumped in his chair, the irritated look on his face hiding his sympathy. "Another loss."

"A tragic one," Kurama agreed. Quay had told them the story of her sister's death, and although not as gruesome as the stories in each of their respective arsenals, it still brought an odd tingle to Kurama's nose. They didn't know until recently that it hadn't even been a year since her death.

"How often does your human mother come by anyway?" Kurama smiled to himself, grateful that it was Hiei who changed the subject this time.

"Oh, about once a week. She says hi, by the way."

"Hn."

Three o'clock rolled around and Hiei was still at Kurama's, sprawled on the sofa, his nose in a book. Said youko was sitting on the only free space on the same sofa, dazedly watching TV. The chiming of the old grandfather clock his step-father had given him as a present drew their attention.

Yawning and sitting up, Hiei stretched and closed the book softly, turning to look expectantly at Kurama. "Well?"

Emerald eyes blinked cluelessly back at him. "Well what?"

"Didn't you say the little idiot has some sort of sports practice?"

Kurama eyed him curiously, a frown between his brows. "Yes, so?"

Hiei rolled his eyes. "So are we going or what?"

And Kurama felt an absolutely ridiculous smile break across his face.

----

"Come on, Jin, make the goal. MAKE THE GOAL!"

The girl the coach was addressing laughed to herself and kicked the ball into the goal half-heartedly, giggling with the goalie as the ball was stopped. "C'mon coach," she replied, brown eyes shining with amusement, "It's just practice! Nothin' wrong with takin' it easy!"

"Our game's on Saturday! We don't have time to take it easy!" Glancing at all the chatting girls, she blew her whistle and screamed, "Six laps! Now!"

Kurama shook his head from the sidelines as the brown eyed girl shrugged and began to jog besides a curly-haired blonde. He and Hiei were all the way on the other side of the field, but they could see Quay from miles away in her jersey. Not only was it orange, but her last name, Jin, was printed in large bold white letters across the back, right above the number nine. And if not the jersey, they could easily spot her by her skin, several tones darker than any of the other girls'.

"Hmph. She could outrun them all, easily."

Kurama laughed at the delivery of Hiei's comment. It wasn't quite like his usual tones, but proud and meant for someone to hear. That someone turned their direction immediately and abruptly changed course. "Kurama-san! Hiei-san! What are you doing here?" It never failed to make Kurama laugh when Quay said 'san.' Her accent made it sound like there was a 'g' at the end of the word and gave it a charming twang.

Noticing that one of her forwards were missing, the coach turned around and was about to shout at Quay, but the look on Hiei's face stopped her. Coughing lightly, she turned around and pretended not to see them. "Hiei wanted to come see you."

The shorter of the two glared, but Kurama noticed he didn't bother correcting him. "Really?" Quay asked with a heart-melting grin. "That's-" She stopped, smile faltering for a moment as she struggled to find the right words. "That's weird... but really sweet!" And the grin was back. "You should run some laps with us, Hiei-san. I'm sure the girls would get a kick out of it."

"No."

As the words left his mouth, a couple girls ran past them, giggling as and blushing as they caught sight of the pair. Quay giggled as well and looked up at Kurama. "I better go do my laps or coach is gonna go nutso." Brown eyes met crimson hopefully. "Are ya stayin'?"

Hiei stared at her for a moment before nodding wordlessly. The young girl gave them a toothy smile and grateful stare before she tore off in the same direction as rest of the team. "What should we do, Hiei?" Kurama asked semi-sarcastically as they made their way towards the few bleachers that were set up. "She's going to think you care just a tiny bit."

Face an emotionless mask, the smaller youkai turned towards him and looked him in the eye before turning back towards the field to watch the dark-haired girl in the lead run around the field. "It's best to just let her think what she wants."

And Kurama realized for what seemed like the millionth time that day that they weren't talking about Quay.

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Thanks for reading!


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